FAO All Grainfather Users

[MyQul]

You're right its the end result that matters.

I find the first 75% of my wort is crystal clear the last bit is a murky.. I think its all to do with the bag (and water treatment) , since I stopped using cheap paint strainers . Do not need to recirculate or anything.

I dont' know whether this has an effect on the end result. Its improved a lot but thats more water treatment I think.

What treatment do you do to your water Cov. I'm currently not doing anything. I just use low bicarbonate bottled water for pale beer and my tap water for stouts and porters.

 

[Covrich]

What treatment do you do to your water Cov. I'm currently not doing anything. I just use low bicarbonate bottled water for pale beer and my tap water for stouts and porters.

It was the Help I had on this thread

http://www.thehomebrewforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=58916

I use these as the basis its mostly CRS (I also started adding campden tablet which I never did before) and usually a couple of grams of gypsum in the mash.. For the ESB I did it told me to add twice as much gypsum..

I do work on a rough basis as I have not done any official water tests but so far its working well.

 

[MyQul]

It was the Help I had on this thread

http://www.thehomebrewforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=58916

I use these as the basis its mostly CRS (I also started adding campden tablet which I never did before) and usually a couple of grams of gypsum in the mash.. For the ESB I did it told me to add twice as much gypsum..

I do work on a rough basis as I have not done any official water tests but so far its working well.

When I added a teeny bit of gypsum (what the forum water calc told me to) to my pseudo lager, it had a weird chamically taste for a while, which has put me off using gyspum and other additions

 

[Covrich]

When I added a teeny bit of gypsum (what the forum water calc told me to) to my pseudo lager, it had a weird chamically taste for a while, which has put me off using gyspum and other additions

HOw much did you add.. I added 6 grams in Pale ales but it says for Bitters add 12.. so I did!! I didnt add table salt though, it said half a gram so I thought whats the point!!


Funny for my Pseudo lager the water calulator told me to add nothing except CRS. I am guessing the calculator said to add gypsum??

Truth be told I don't know how much difference 6 grams of gypsum makes in 32 liters total mash water ect, but I strongly feel the CRS and probably campden tablet is doing something the flavours are "cleaner" and so is the clarity

 

[MyQul]

HOw much did you add.. I added 6 grams in Pale ales but it says for Bitters add 12.. so I did!! I didnt add table salt though, it said half a gram so I thought whats the point!!


Funny for my Pseudo lager the water calulator told me to add nothing except CRS. I am guessing the calculator said to add gypsum??

Truth be told I don't know how much difference 6 grams of gypsum makes in 32 liters total mash water ect, but I strongly feel the CRS and probably campden tablet is doing something the flavours are "cleaner" and so is the clarity

I only added less than gram.

Definately agree the CRS would have a big effect and make your beer asting cleaner. I'm unable to make pale beers with my tap water. They taste as if they have a bitter after bite. Not the clean hop flavours you get with a beer in the pub. But now that I use low bicarbonate bottled water I'm getting those clean flavours now

 

[Covrich]

I only added less than gram.

Definately agree the CRS would have a big effect and make your beer asting cleaner. I'm unable to make pale beers with my tap water. They taste as if they have a bitter after bite. Not the clean hop flavours you get with a beer in the pub. But now that I use low bicarbonate bottled water I'm getting those clean flavours now

Yeah you Probably think its a case of better to buy the bottled stuff than trying to compensate with too much chemistry!

 

[darkbright]

Should any one else have the same problem, I'm more than delighted to advise.

Would be interested to hear your thoughts. I have done about 5 brews now and still figuring the damn thing out.

I buy my grain crushed via the malt miller - I never get the wort circulating down through the top mesh. Always loads heading down the over flow.

Chiller always blocks when cooling. Took forever on the last brew.

Often get a very slow sparge.

So for the next one I am going to try the following - pellet hops in a paint strainer bag inside the hop spider. Might add some rice hulls to the mash. I might also try a different grain supplier.

 

[Slid]

Would be interested to hear your thoughts. I have done about 5 brews now and still figuring the damn thing out.

I buy my grain crushed via the malt miller - I never get the wort circulating down through the top mesh. Always loads heading down the over flow.

Chiller always blocks when cooling. Took forever on the last brew.

Often get a very slow sparge.

So for the next one I am going to try the following - pellet hops in a paint strainer bag inside the hop spider. Might add some rice hulls to the mash. I might also try a different grain supplier.

I think the key thing is to keep the right amount of liquid above the top plate. A few of my disasters have been down to this, Basically you want to be able to see the top of the two handler thingys on the top plate above the wort at all times.

So, instead of having the red thingy at the top of the pump tube at vertical, you need to reduce the flow right down to what flow the mash can accommodate. What you really do not want is wort going down the central tube thingy, So you use the bit that goes on the top on the central tube during the mash to be the stopper of bits of grain going down into the bottom, where it gets into the pump, which is the very heart of the GF methodology.

It has been virtually zip at times, but if i remember back to doing the mash in a big pot in the oven, then that ain't re-circulating either.

I'm trying to view the GF not so much as a magic machine that you chuck stuff into and out comes beer, as more of a compact way of performing all but one of the brewing steps.

So, the dough in is good with the GF, but I find a light plastic spoon less likely to cause central pipe issues than the heavy metal �£20 stirrer .

Then the mash is great, but you need to remember that you just need the right temps and if the throughput on the recycling has to be slowed down, then fine. it is going to make beer anyway and if your efficiency is poor, bung some sugar in at the end.

Sparging can require removing the lid off the top and hand balling the sparge by stirring the bottom plate with the heavy metal appliance. If you keep the grainy bits out of the main boil, then all should be well.

If the pump gets clogged and you cant transfer to the FV in the smooth fashion shown on the videos, then - there is always hand balling it by jugging it into a BIAB bag in a fermenter.

If the wondrous counter chiller gets clogged, then the "No Chill" is a fall back. Just star san everything in sight and leave the pitching until tomorrow.

Done all these, Don't expect any result except beer, as my Great Predecessors have been doing this for a very long time.

 

[GlentoranMark]

My LHBS have just started selling these for £630.... I wonder do they do a savings club

I'd love one of these but £630 is a bit much for a single purchase.

 

[darkbright]

I think the key thing is to keep the right amount of liquid above the top plate. A few of my disasters have been down to this, Basically you want to be able to see the top of the two handler thingys on the top plate above the wort at all times.

So, instead of having the red thingy at the top of the pump tube at vertical, you need to reduce the flow right down to what flow the mash can accommodate. What you really do not want is wort going down the central tube thingy, So you use the bit that goes on the top on the central tube during the mash to be the stopper of bits of grain going down into the bottom, where it gets into the pump, which is the very heart of the GF methodology.

It has been virtually zip at times, but if i remember back to doing the mash in a big pot in the oven, then that ain't re-circulating either.

I'm trying to view the GF not so much as a magic machine that you chuck stuff into and out comes beer, as more of a compact way of performing all but one of the brewing steps.

So, the dough in is good with the GF, but I find a light plastic spoon less likely to cause central pipe issues than the heavy metal ��£20 stirrer .

Then the mash is great, but you need to remember that you just need the right temps and if the throughput on the recycling has to be slowed down, then fine. it is going to make beer anyway and if your efficiency is poor, bung some sugar in at the end.

Sparging can require removing the lid off the top and hand balling the sparge by stirring the bottom plate with the heavy metal appliance. If you keep the grainy bits out of the main boil, then all should be well.

If the pump gets clogged and you cant transfer to the FV in the smooth fashion shown on the videos, then - there is always hand balling it by jugging it into a BIAB bag in a fermenter.

If the wondrous counter chiller gets clogged, then the "No Chill" is a fall back. Just star san everything in sight and leave the pitching until tomorrow.

Done all these, Don't expect any result except beer, as my Great Predecessors have been doing this for a very long time.

Thanks, I have tried a lot of this but will have another try next time, which is prob not for a month or so. Plenty of time to buy some bits and have a think.